1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmic apparatus to be used in an ophthalmic clinic, a hospital, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Joystick mechanism is commonly used to operate ophthalmic apparatus. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-058232 discloses a mechanism in an ophthalmic apparatus such as a fundus camera, which has a vertical movement knob that is arranged around the lower portion of a joystick, is mechanically linked to a screw mechanism on the lower side of an optical unit; by rotation of the vertical movement knob the optical unit is moved in the vertical direction. Japanese Patent No. 3244873 discloses providing a jog dial near the joystick of an ophthalmic apparatus such as a fundus camera and performing settings in accordance with various modes such as changing the illumination light amount by rotating the jog dial.
The mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-058232 improves operability by mechanically moving the optical unit in the vertical direction. However, in accordance with the weight of the optical unit, this mechanical system requires a large force when operating the vertical movement knob. For this reason, the burden on the operator is heavy. In Japanese Patent No. 3244873, the jog dial is provided near the joystick. However, after moving the optical unit leftward or rightward using the joystick, the operator must again place a hand on the jog dial to change the illumination light amount. For this reason, operability is poor. Note that neither Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-058232 nor Japanese Patent No. 3244873 include any disclosure regarding focusing.
Considering the above-described problems, the present invention is directed to improve operability of the ophthalmic apparatus, and enable a series of operations including alignment, focusing, and shooting without changing the grip position of the joystick.